Apparatus for conditioning molding sand



Sept. 3, 1940. w. F. PIPER APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING MOLDING SAND 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1939 Sept. 3, 1940. w. F. PIPER APPARATUSFOR CONDITIONING MOLDING SAND Fiied Jan. 23, 19:59

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FORCONDITIONING MOLDING SAND Walter F. Piper,

Beardsley & Piper Company,

corporation of Illinois Oak Park, 111., asslgnor to The Chicago, 111., a

Application January 23, 1939, Serial No. 252,255

2 Claims. (Cl. 259-108) The present invention relates generally toapparatus for use in a foundry or like establishment in conditioning ortreating molding sand such, for example, as core sand. More partic- 8ularly the invention relates to that type of sand conditioning apparatuswhich operates to mix a bonding material with the sand and comprises asits main parts an open top sand retaining receptacle with a circularbottom and an an 10 nular upwardly extending side wall, and a defiectorand scraper equipped rotary power driven crosshead in the receptacle.

One object of the invention is to provide a sand conditioning apparatusof this type which effects the desired or proper distribution of thebonding material with respect to the grains of sand without the use ofrotary sand squeezing mulling balls or wheels, and in addition, operateseffectively and efiiciently to aerate the sand and break up all clustersor lumps.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sand conditioningapparatus of the type and character under consideration in which thecrosshead carried and driven deflectors and scrapers operate alone toeffect the desired mixing of the bonding material with the sand and alsoaeration of the sand, and are arranged and designed so that duringoperation of the apparatus they maintain the entire mass or batch ofsand within the receptacle in suspension adjacent to the annular sidewall of the receptacle and successively deflect the sand outwardly in ascattered manner against the side wall for packing or compressingpurposes, and project the sand inwardly in a finely scattered manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sand conditioningapparatus which is generally of new and improved design, consists of buta minimum number of parts, and may be manufactured and produced at a lowcost.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages andcharacteristics of the present sand conditioning apparatus will beapparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by claims at theconclusion hereof.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification ordisclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote correspondingparts throughout the several views:

56 Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a sandconditioning apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating in detail thedesign and construction of the scrapers and the manner in which the 5scrapers are connected for'drive by the rotary power driven crosshead;and

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure1 and showing the arrangement and design of the deflectors and 10scrapers and the manner in which they coact to effect the desiredaeration of the sand and distribution of the bonding material and alsoto maintain the entire mass or batch of sand in the receptacle insuspension adjacent to the side wall 15 of the receptacle.

The apparatus which is shown in the drawings constitutes the preferredembodiment of the invention and is adapted primarily for use in afoundry or like establishment. It serves or operates, as hereinaftendescribed, to condition molding sand such as core sand and as the mainparts thereof comprises a frame structure 4, an open top receptacle 5, arotary crosshead 6, a set of plow-type deflectors l, a set of scrapers8, 25 and an electric motor 9.

The frame structure 43 serves as a supporting medium for the receptacleand the various other parts of. the apparatus and is adapted to rest onthe floor of the foundry in which the apparatus 30 is used. It isrectangular, as shown in Figure 3, and consists of a pair oflaterallyspaced parallelly arranged horizontally extending side beams II], a pairof transversely and horizontally extending cross-beams i i, and a bedplate 12. The 35 side beams 9 are in the form of I-beams and are held inlaterally spaced relation by the crossbeams 18. The bed plate ii islocated at one end of the frame structure l, as shown in Figure 2. Itextends across and is secured to the top flanges of the side beams andserves as a pedestal or bed for the electric motor 9.

The receptacle 5 is positioned over and spaced above the other end ofthe frame structure 4 and is adapted to be charged with a batch of sandto be conditioned for molding purposes. It is circular as far as generalcontour is concerned and consists of a circular bottom i3, an upstandingoutwardly bulged annular side wall M, a ring I5 at the top of the sidewall, and a tubular member 16 in the central portion of the side wall.The bottom I3 is in the form of a casting and embodies supporting means(not shown) whereby it is secured to, and positioned above the framestructure 4. The side wall ll of the receptacle is relation and embodyinwardly extending bottom flanges l8, abutting side flanges l9, andupwardly extending top flanges 20. The bottom flanges l8 rest on and areclamped against the outer margin of the bottom l3 of the receptacle, asshown in Figure 1. The side flanges l9 are arcuate and are securedtogether in abutting relation by means of bolts or other connectingdevices. The top flanges extend between the upper ends of the sideflanges l9 and define a circular inlet or opening for the receptacle 5.The ring l5 operates to guide the sand to be conditioned through thisopening into the receptacle. The lower end of the ring fits within thetop flanges 20 and is secured to the latter by means of bolts or in anyother suitable manner. The tubular member l6 extends upward from thecentral portion of the bottom l3 and is of such length that the upperend thereof terminates at substantially the same elevation as the topflanges 20 of the side wall forming sections it. The lower end of themember I6 projects through a centrally disposed opening in thereceptacle bottom and is bolted in place. In addition to the bottom l3,the side wall i l, the ring -l5 and the tubular member IS, thereceptacle 5 comprises an annular false bottom 2|. This false bottomoverlies and is spaced a slight distance above the bottom l3 and extendsbetween the bottom of the member l6 and the bottom or lower margin ofthe side wall I 4.

The crosshead 6 is in the form of a one-piece casting and is disposed inthe central portion of the ring l5. It is substantially square and hasoutwardly extending lugs 22 at the corners thereof. The central portionof the crosshead is fixedly connected by bolts to an enlarged head 23 atthe upper end of a vertically extending shaft 24. The latter extendsthrough the tubular member [6 of the receptacle 5 and is driven, ashereinafter described, by the electric motor 9 so as to cause thedeflectors 1 and the scrapers 8 to travel in a circular course aroundthe outwardly bulged side wall M for sand conditioning purposes.

The plow-type deflectors 1 are four in number and as shown in Figure 4,are arranged in an annular series and at equidistantly spaced intervals.They are preferably in the form of metal castings and. extend from thetubular member IE to the outwardly bulged side wall l4. During drive ofthe crosshead 6 the deflectors come in contact with the entire batch ormass of sand in the receptacle 5 and operate to deflect or fling thesand outwards against all portions of the inner periphery of the'sidewall M. The upper portions of the inner parts of the deflectors haveintegral semi-cylindrical sockets 25 for the lower ends of fourvertically extending pipes 26. The.

upper ends of these pipes fit within semi-cylindrical sockets orrecesses 21 in the lugs 22 of the crosshead 6 and are fixedly secured inplace by means of U-bolts 28. The deflectors 1 are held in connectedrelation with the lower ends of the pipes by means of bolts 29. Thesebolts are carried by the upper portions of the inner parts of thedeflectors, as shown in Figure 1, and extend around the lower ends ofthe pipes. The deflecaerane tors I extend outwardly and rearwardly atsubstantially an angle of 45 with respect to the arc of rotation and asa result the sand which is encountered by the leading faces thereof isdeflected outwards in the direction of the side wall of the receptacle.The inner and central portions of the deflectors are substantially thesame in height as the side wall with the result that the entire batch ofsand is urged outwards into contact with the side wall. Because of thespecific angularity and shape of the deflectors the sand is flungoutwards in a scattered manner and attains such velocity or speed thatit becomes packed or compressed as soon as it-strikes against the sidewall. Because of the scattering of the sand prior to abutment againstthe inner face of the side wall of the receptacle, aeration takes place.By compressing or packing the sand against the side wall afterscattering the sand is so pressed or squeezed together that any bondingmaterial mixed therewith becomes evenly distributed over the grains ofsand. The bottom .margins of the deflectors are shaped conformably tothe top base of the false bottom 2! and the lower portion of the sidewall M. The outer parts of the deflectors are warped or canted, as shownin Figure 3, so that a portion of the sand is directed upwards towardsthe upper portion of the receptacle side wall. As the result of thespecific shaping of the deflectors, the sand in the receptacle is notonly deflected outwards in a scattered manner against the inner face ofthe side wall, but also is deflected in such manner that it packsagainst all portions of the inner face of the receptacle side wall. Byhaving the outer end parts of the deflectors warped or canted so that aportion of the sand is directed upwards towards the upper portion of theside wall of the receptacle, the sand not only packs against allportions of the side wall of the receptacle but also is subjected to amulling or rubbing action which produces the desired distribution of thebonding material.

The scrapers 8 are four in number, as shown in Figure 3'and arepositioned between the deflectors. They operate during drive of thecrosshead 6 to scrape the deflector packed or compressed sand from theinner periphery of the outwardly bulged side wall M of the receptacleand direct it inwards in a finely scattered manner against the inner andcentral portions of the deflectors. As shown in Figure 2 of thedrawings, the scrapers are arcuate and conform substantially incurvature to the side wall H. The lower ends of the scrapers terminateadjacent to the outer margin of the false bottom 2| and the upper endsof the scrapers are connected by brackets 30 to the central portions ofthe pipes 26. The brackets 30 are disposed directly beneath the lugs 22at the corners of the crosshead and have semi-cylindrical sockets orrecesses 3| in which the central portions of the pipes fit. U-bolts 32extend around the pipes and through the .brackets 30 and serve to securethe scrapers in their operative position. The inner faces of thescrapers are angularly arranged,

a as shown in Figure 2, so that the sand after being scraped from theinner face of the side wall I4 is deflected inwards towards the innerand central portions of the deflectors. The scrapers are so positionedor arranged with respect to the deflectors that during operation of theapparatus the packed sand is deflected toward the central portions ofthe deflectors in a suspended manner and does not come in contact withor fall-to the false bottom of the receptacle.

The shaft 24 together with the crosshead 6 and the deflectors andscrapers, is driven by the electric motor 9 through the medium of speedreducing gearing in a cast metal housing 33 beneath the receptacle. Thebottom l3 of the receptacle serves as the top of this housing. The speedreducing gearing consists of a bevel pinion 34, a bevel gear 35, apinion 36, and a gear 31. The bevel pinion 34 is fixedly connected toone end of a horizontally extending shaft 38. This shaft is journaled ina bearing in one of the side walls of the housing 33 and is connected atits other end by a coupling 39 to one end of the armature shaft of themotor 9. The bevel gear 35 meshes with, and is driven by, the bevelpinion 34 and is keyed or otherwise fixedly secured to the centralportion of a vertically extending shaft 40. The latter is journaled inupper and lower roller bearings and is located at one side of the shaft24. The pinion 36 is disposed above the bevel gear 35 and is fixed tothe upper end of the shaft 40. It meshes with the'gear 31 and serves todrive the latter in response tooperation of the electric motor 9. Thegear 31 is keyed to the lower end of the shaft 24 and operates to drivethe latter together with the crosshead and the deflectors and scrapers.

In order that the sand in the receptacle may be discharged at theconclusion of a conditioning operation, one of the side wall formingsections I1 is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 41.This opening is normally closed by a door 42 which is hinged at the topthereof so that it may be swung outwardly and upwardly into an openposition. Mechanism in the form of a cylinder 43 and a piston 44 servesin response to control thereof to open and close the door.

When it is desired to discharge the sand in the receptacle afterconditioning thereof, the door isswung into its open position. When thedoor is in such position, the deflectors discharge "the sand from thereceptacle as they pass by the discharge opening 4l.

The apparatus is preferably driven or operated so that the crosshead 6rotates at approximately 90 R. P. M. When the receptacle is charged byintroducing a batch of sand into it through the ring I5 thereof and theelectric motor 9 is started to effect drive of the crosshead, thedeflectors 1 and the scrapers 8 move in a circular course around theoutwardly bulged side wall I4 and effect not only mixing of any bondingmaterial such as linseed oil with the sand but also aeration of thesand. During drive of the crosshead the deflectors 'I engage the sandwithin the receptacle and fling it outwards in a'finely scattered manneragainst all portions of the side wall l4 of the receptacle. As soon asthe sand impinges or strikes against the side wall it builds up into acompressed layer and this layer is encountered by the scrapers 8. Thelatter when brought into engagement with the packed sand scrape the sandfrom the inner periphery of the receptacle and because of their shaping,deflect the sand inwards in finely divided streams towards the inner andcentral parts or portions of the deflectors. The deflectors and scrapersact upon the entire batch of sand within the receptacle and operatesuccessively to fling the sand outwards in a scattered manner againstthe side wall and then to scrape the material from the side wall andproject is inwards against the deflector. The successive action of thedeflectors and the scrapers effects because of, the scattering of thesand complete aeration of the sand and in addition an efficientdistribution of the bonding material over the grains of sand. Because ofthe number and position of the deflectors and scrapers and the speed atwhich the crosshead is driven, the sand during conditioning within thereceptacle is maintained in suspension. Because of the scattering ofgrains of sand disintegration of any and all lumps or clusters resultsand the sand at the end of its conditioning period within the receptacleis in condition for immediate use in molds or flasks. At the end of theconditioning operation, the conditioned sand is discharged from thereceptacle by opening the door 42.

The herein described molding sand conditioning apparatus consists of buta small number of parts and hence may be manufactured at a low andreasonable cost. It effectively and efficiently fulfills its intendedpurpose and serves to aerate the sand in addition to distributing thebonding material.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

This application for Letters Patent is a continuation in part of UnitedStates patent application Serial No. 100,630, filed by me September 14,1936, and United States patent application Serial No. 134,974, filed byme April 5, 1937, 'patented January 24, 1939, No. 2,144,636.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent isz 1. A sand conditioning apparatus comprisingin combination a receptacle adapted to contain a batch of sand to beconditioned and comprising a bottom and an annular upstanding side wall,a set of angularly positioned deflectors adapted to travel in a circularcourse around the interior of the receptacle side wall and arranged sothat they extend from the central portion of the receptacle to said sidewall and operate each time they travel around the side wall to deflectin a finely scattered stream the entire mass of sand outwardly againstsubstantially all portions of the side wall and having the outer endparts thereof warped or canted with respect to their central and innerend parts so as to deflect a portion of the sandupwards and outwardsagainst the upper portion of the side wall, a set of scraperscorresponding in number to the deflectors and mounted behind and forconjoint travel with the latter and arranged and shaped to scrape thesand from the side wall and direct it inwards in stream form' againstthe central and inner end parts of the following deflectors, and meansfor propelling the deflectors together with the scrapers in saidcircular course and at sufiicient speed so that they maintainsubstantially the entire batch of sand in suspension in the receptacle.

2. A sand conditioning apparatus comprising in combination a receptacleadapted to contain a batch of sand to be conditioned and comprising acircular bottom and an annular outwarders curved vertically inconformity to the inner periphery of the outwardly bulged side wall andcarried by the crosshead behind the deflectors and arranged'and shapedso that they scrape the sand from the side wall and deflect it inwardsagainst said central and inner end parts of the following deflectors,and power means for driving the crosshead at such speed that thedeflectors and scrapers operate to maintain the sand in suspension.

WALTER F. PIPER.

